Emperor Palpatine - Life-Size Busts

As the Clone Wars reach their final, grim days, the devastated galactic citizens regard Supreme Chancellor Palpatine as the unwavering defender of the Republic. He has remained in power long after his term ended in order to see the Clone Wars won and peace restored to the war-ravaged galaxy. Hidden from all, not even known to his apprentices, Palpatine is Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith. Through intricate planning and dazzling adaptability, the Sith Master rose to the office of Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, granting him the power necessary to engineer the Clone Wars and manipulate the Jedi with the firm intent to destroy the Order and enslave the galaxy.

As the disguised Sith Master, Chancellor Palpatine had many willing servants and aides. The greatest and most tragic of Palpatine's servants is Anakin Skywalker, The accomplished young Jedi Knight. Palpatine lures Anakin to the Dark Side with promises of power over death and the ability to do great good, all the while planting seeds of doubt and fostering Anakin's growing resentment of his status within the Jedi Order. Overwhelmed by the fear of loss, the bitterness of betrayal, and the hunger for power, Anakin falls to the Dark Side. As Darth Vader, hunter of Jedi and destroyer of the Order, Anakin becomes the grim enforcer of the Palpatine's will. Anakin's submission enables Palpatine to step from the shadows and simultaneously declare himself Emperor and order the destruction of the Jedi Order, confident that his new apprentice will both execute his plans and protect his master. Darth Vader's black, masked visage is the symbol of Palpatine's Empire, another tool to be used to maintain power and impose his will upon the former Republic.

Emperor Palpatine is one Star Wars character that is visually misleading as a collectible. When he first appeared in Return Of The Jedi, the lighting (which actually was a lot more shadowing than anything else) played a great part to make us think his gray was very ashen and gray. But in all actuality, Palpatine is more pale than anything else with an almost yellow hue instead. Thankfully, licensees today have a lot more access to reference materials than we have and can accurately recreate the finest details for us in their high end collectibles. Sideshow Collectibles steps up to the plate and makes a fine version of Emperor Palpatine in 1:1 scale. The Life-Size Bust is not issue free, but we bet you’ll see a lot more to like than dislike in this wonderful piece.

Emperor Palpatine has a wonderful eerie likeness, but we’re not so sure is the angle in which he looking is ideal. Most collectors like to face the Life-Size Busts with the nameplate facing forward, but if you do the for Palpatine, he’s looking off to [his] the left (your right). It’s an aesthetically pleasing pose for him, but it isn’t in the same format as Sideshow’s previous busts and you don’t get the full evil effect because half of his expression if hidden displaying it in this manner. Still, there is much more to be happy about because Emperor Palpatine looks really awesome in so many other ways. One more complaint before we move on, but we would like to mention that this is the first Life-Size Bust that feels very light. It doesn’t feel like we’re getting the same high quality polystone as we did with Darth Maul and Greedo.

Emperor Palpatine’s soft-goods are amazing. Sideshow Collectibles have used a rich waffle corduroy fabric that has a natural sheen to it. But it’s important to note that the fabric is not too shiny and it behaves rather wonderfully in natural and artificial light. This means that they used a good quality fabric to design his hood. It’s very well tailored and drapes across his head very believably and because it is soft-goods, you have the option to crease and fold the fabric as you desire to attain the most film accurate representation of the character. The bust is nicely finished off with his infamous clasp with its very “Sith-ly” design. And we of course love his snarl and rotting teeth which nicely summarizes just how evil this man is. Great job Sideshow, just give us a lot more weight next time, please?

Collector Notes

Emperor Palpatine

Summary: The life-size Palpatine bust captures the Emperor, the Dark Lord of the Sith, in all his stately serenity, evil intent visible behind his cold stare. The Palpatine bust is mounted on a Star Wars inspired display base, including a 'Palpatine' nameplate. The hand crafted, hand painted life-size Palpatine bust is sure to become a supreme addition to any Star Wars collection.

Announcement: The Emperor Palpatine Life-Size Bust was announced January 24, 2008 on Sideshow Collectibles' website.

Pre-order Information: The Emperor Palpatine Life-Size Bust went up for pre-order on January 31, 2008.